Reviving Ram in NASCAR and Working in the Sport He Grew Up Watching with Kevin Kidd

Kevin's start in motorsports

What was the first moment you discovered racing?

I was probably seven years old. My father was really into racing, NASCAR racing specifically. I grew up in the South. And I would say it was sitting at home on a Sunday and watching ESPN or the Nashville network or all those broadcasts from the mid-80s and just watching it on TV, and that was a way to hang out with my dad.

Then the real thing is they opened up a local short track about an hour from our house. I can remember to this day, 1987 is when it opened up, and I was eight years old, and we went over to watch—not opening weekend for it, but it wasn't much after maybe a month or two into their season. And it was just like the coolest thing ever for a kid. That same fall, I think we went to Charlotte Motor Speedway and watched a Cup race, and then the very next year in ‘88, we were racing full-time at that same local short track, and the rest is history. We have never stopped racing since.

Greg: And were you behind the wheel?

No, gosh no. These were proper cars, late model stock cars, street stocks, mini stocks, and stuff like that. So obviously, I was way too young to drive at that point. My brother was way too young to drive, but we would just go as fans. And then when we actually started to race, my dad owned some mini stocks, and one of his employees did the driving, another one of his employees was the crew chief and the guy who kept the car up. It was just a way it got started. It was just a way for my dad and some of the guys who worked for him to go have fun on the weekend.

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When did you decide that racing was where you wanted to build your career?

Around my freshman year in high school, I decided that racing was cool enough that that's what I wanted to pursue for a living. And so then I just started a path at that young of an age. It timed really well with the explosion of NASCAR going mainstream. And not long after that, engineering in NASCAR became an actual thing. You could go get an engineering degree from a college, graduate, and go get a job at a race team. I don't want to say it was fairly easy. It was super competitive at that time, but there were actual, proper engineering jobs there. And so that's what I did. I really caught the front wave of that. I was very fortunate to have done that. And as my career has gone on, leadership within the sport has been something that's always been of interest to me. 

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What was that first step you took to starting your career in racing?

When I was a freshman and decided that this was what I wanted to do, we were late model racing at that point. And so, really the first steps were racing my tail off every weekend through the summer and giving every day and every night of my life in the summers to that. And not going to the pool and hanging out with the girls or doing other fun things during the summer. My summers were dedicated to racing, and that quickly spread to springs and falls and the wintertime, and next thing you know, you're basically occupied with racing around the clock while going to school and doing all that.

Then somewhere in high school, it just clicked—engineering is the path. This is what I need to do. So, let's get oriented around that. And then once in college, it was the next step of, okay, well, if I want to do this professionally, what's next? I need to get in with a Cup team and do some internships and things like that. So, I was able to get in with Jasper Motorsports, which was one of the, I'd call it mid-tier teams at the time, and did some internships with them through my college days. And then they ultimately hired me right out of college. So that's how it all progressed up to that point.

Greg: Did that experience of showing up at the track every weekend give you the edge you needed when you were applying for those internships?

Yeah, absolutely, there's no question about it for me. Show up and do something. I would take it a step further and basically say that if you want to be in racing, you need to get in racing. And there are plenty of ways to do that. Unpaid, volunteer, there's always a local track near you somewhere. It could be dirt, it could be asphalt, it could be a road course. It doesn't matter. There are opportunities to go racing all across this country. And if racing is your passion and what you want to do, go to the racetrack, look around. Who's in the infield, who's racing, start getting your name circulated out there, and join a team. Volunteer. They'll take you in, and they'll teach you. And, at the end of the day, you'll get some of that fundamental knowledge that does give you the edge for internships and future jobs and everything else.

In my position these days, I'm never overly impressed with some academic engineer who's done really well in college but has no real-world experience. I wouldn't say I completely avoid those kids. There are plenty of them out there that are bright and can contribute, but the ones who have actually rolled their sleeves up, gotten their hands dirty, and participated in racing while getting an education, are typically the ones that ultimately end up shining.

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Kevin's current role

How would you describe your current role?

I am in a highly dynamic, ever-changing, highly political environment, attempting to build a motorsports program.

In our case, we're building a NASCAR effort primarily. Up to this point, we are in the Craftsman Truck Series. We're racing five trucks with Kaulig Racing every week in that series. That's new for this year. A year ago it was just a dream, it wasn't real. In July, it became more real. It actually turned into substantive trucks, equipment, and software, and everything else in February. That's how quickly it all has come together.

It was a pretty intense timeline to get going with trucks, and we've done it. We've got trucks on the track. We're not as competitive as we want to be. We've got a lot of work to do to get that part of it fixed. But the good thing is everybody involved is wide-eyed towards that. And we're fighting every day to get better. And that's all I can ask for right now. But beyond that, there's the future. Like, hey, NASCAR is more than just a Truck Series. There's the Cup Series. And how do we push forward with that in due time? And getting into the Truck Series is one thing, but getting into the Cup Series is a whole different can of worms. And that's a much more significant problem to solve. And that's what we're working on behind the scenes. There's no definitive timeline or anything worth announcing here today, but I will tell you that we're looking at it and we're working on it, trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle in place to eventually get there one day and do that with a competitive effort. It's one thing to be out there and be part of the show, and it's a whole different thing to be the show. And that's what we're working towards. It's a process.

Greg: Focusing on the Truck Series, what is the day-to-day getting that program off the ground, running that, and refining it?

Now that it's up and running, and we're going to the racetrack, and racing, it's like do, fail, learn, repeat. That whole cycle that goes on. It's fast feedback, you go to the racetrack, try some stuff, you learn about it, and then you adjust, and that applies to all kinds of things. It applies to drivers and pit crews. It applies to crew chiefs. It applies to hardware on the trucks. It applies to software, behind the scenes, helping to make decisions about the trucks, and on all fronts from a competition standpoint. We're just trying to make incremental progress every week and continue to move the ball down the field. And so, me and my role in that, I'm definitely less day-to-day. I'm not sitting there, making all the decisions. In fact, quite frankly, the opposite is true. I'm trying really hard not to make those decisions. We've got good teams of crew chiefs, race engineers, car chiefs, and the like, who are all in the thick of the battle. They know all the granular details way better than I do at this point.

What I'm really here to do is to sit over that at a high level and, generally speaking, help to steer the ship in the right direction if we get off course down the line here. And then also just to help deploy the resources that the team needs to go race with. So, there's a lot of effort that goes into building your resources, and it never stops. Resource building is a continual problem. But as you're building those resources, it's about ensuring that you're spending the right money, time, and effort on the right things at the right time, and not overspending or under-delivering or overdelivering on any one topic that may not move the ball down the field. So, if you want to equate it to other sports, it's a football comparison; I'm definitely not at the coordinator level. I'm probably not even at the head coach level. I'm probably sitting more in the general manager's office or the team president's office. And I'm looking over the whole thing, looking over the roster, the results, and trying to decide where this thing is going holistically for the future.

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What would you say are the most rewarding and challenging parts of your role?

Rewarding

The most rewarding parts are every Friday or sometimes Saturday, when the green flag drops and we've got five Ram pickups out there. And the teams have worked their tails off to not only get there, but also put their best foot forward. And you just really appreciate everybody's effort and what is getting put into this. I love that part about it. I love teamwork, I love what the meaning of teams is, and how that's demonstrated. It's just an incredible thing to be a part of. I really just enjoy this job.

In addition to that, I've had a lot of fun learning about the car business, and something completely foreign to me, and being part of the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group, I get to sit in on all the advanced project work meetings. Just seeing a side of what all this is about that I've never seen before. And it's very interesting to see how a large car company works, for good and bad. I've learned a lot just sitting in those meetings. And so, it's very intellectually stimulating right now.

Challenging

One of the challenging things is understanding all the acronyms that get thrown around within the halls of Stellantis. They're talking in a language that I don't often understand. And I have to sort of ask questions and figure it out. So, that can be challenging. But more to the point, politics in this role, motorsports in general, is very politically driven. If you don't believe that, just tune in to any F1 race or watch Drive to Survive. It's dramatized a little bit, but still, there's real politics there. I used to hate politics. I used to think it was an unnecessary part of the business. I've definitely changed my perspective on that. I wouldn't say I enjoy it now, but I have also come to appreciate it and understand why politics persist. And you just can't quite make it go away. And more to the point, I appreciate my role in what that is, and the fact that to be effective in this job, you've got to understand how to play politics and how to bring value in that space. It's a challenge, but it's not an unwelcome challenge. It's just part of the business.

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What are three qualities that have helped you succeed in this role?

Patience

Patience. You've got to have a lot of patience. We aren't yet where we want to be competitively. I think we all own that, you've got to have some patience to let that play out, develop, and mature. So, I would say patience is one of them.

Humility

Personally, maybe people will tell me I'm wrong, but for the most part, I feel like I'm trying to bring a sense of humility to the job. Never scared to tell somebody that I'm wrong. You’ve got to own your mistakes. You've got to admit to your failures. And most importantly, learn from them and improve. I take that to heart, and I really try to focus on that on a day-to-day basis. So, I think there's a sense of humility that I try to lead with. 

Active listening

The third thing that serves me well in this role is the ability to listen. I think that's a very underrated skill. It's easy to get in front of people and just talk and tell them what you think. Normally, it's really difficult to take a pause and listen, and see what's on people's minds. I use that to help shape your perspective for the better. And then beyond that, how can you use listening to improve the team effort. I think listening is very important, and it's something that I try to lean into pretty hard and use for the benefit of the program.

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Kevin's advice

If you could go back and give your younger self advice, what would that be?

Well, we started this conversation this way. And just as much as it may have sounded like a great story, it's also may be in some ways where I went wrong as a kid. When I was 14, a freshman in high school, and I locked in on motorsports, I said, this is it. I took a lot of options off the table by doing that. I didn't keep the door open for other experiences, maybe at that time in my life I should have explored being a doctor, a lawyer, a businessman, a chemist, or whatever. But I didn't. I took all those options off the table, and I locked in on racing for a living, and it served me well. I don't want that to come across wrong, but getting so focused so early and really attacking it allowed me to achieve great things in my sport.

So here I am at 46, and I look back on it and say, wow that was awesome and still is awesome. But if I had to do it over, would I do it the same way again? Maybe not. Perhaps I would have left some options on the table and been a little more open-minded to other paths. Who knows where that would have gotten me? I don't want that to come across as a sign of regret. I have no regrets. I for sure enjoy what I have done. I think it's just advice to my younger self. Can you replay this? Okay, well, if you can, maybe keep some options on the table.

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What about advice to someone who's looking to be in your position?

If they're already locked in, then I would say damn the torpedoes and go. If you know what you want to do, just go do it. Put yourself all the way in and go do it. That's really the only way.

Greg: Does that mean going to the tracks on the weekends, like you were saying, and getting involved wherever you can?

Yeah, wherever you can. If you're just starting, it's going to the racetrack every weekend. If you're just getting going in your professional career doing this, it's not settling into some role being pigeonholed into one spot, but always pushing to do more and to learn more. And always challenging your bosses to give you more responsibility because you're demonstrating that you're worth it. This sport has a way of rewarding people who push and who are successful at pushing. And I just would recommend to anybody serious about getting to the top, you've got to work for it. It doesn't just happen.

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Kevin's career highlights

Ram Racing just entered the Craftsman Truck Series. It's been a 13-year hiatus since the brand was there. Now that you've moved over to the OEM side and you've actually launched this thing, what is the most interesting or unexpected thing that you learned?

That's a great question. I think the most interesting thing, I wouldn’t say unexpected, but an interesting thing that I've learned from this whole first part of the season, launching the program, is just how passionate people are about the Ram, Dodge, and Jeep brands. I'm not ignorant. I think every OEM could say the same thing, some people are loyal followers of a particular brand. We have an incredible group of fans who follow Ram Racing. We are working really hard to activate and engage with those fans on a day in and day out basis. We've got a lot of really unique programs and ways to draw the fans in. And we're serving up a lot of content for the fans to enjoy, and to see the fans really embrace that and jump in, it's just fantastic. And so, it's not a surprise, but it's super interesting to me just how many and how loyal our fans are. I saw a note yesterday that the Craftsman Truck Series year-over-year in television performance was up 58% over last year. And I have to believe that at least some portion of that is a very loyal Ram Racing fan base who are tuning back in because they now have Ram Trucks on the track.

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